CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO. 31 



plant is now directed to the buds between the leaves and 

 stem, and these put forth side-shoots which are treated 

 lil^e the principal stem, that is to say, they are either 

 broken away, or simply cracked by twisting. Thus the 

 leaves retain the organisable matter subsequently produced, 

 and increase in mass and size, while the amoinit of water 

 in them diminishes. By the middle of September, the 

 leaves lose their green colour and are spotted with yellow 

 blotches, imparting a marbled look ; they become parch- 

 ment-like, feel dry to the touch, get flaccid, with the 

 ends drooping to the ground, and, when arrived at full 

 maturity, are viscous, clammy, and readily come off 

 the stem. 



This treatment is variously modified, according to the 

 several varieties of tobacco, and the different countries in 

 which it is o;roAvn. The so-called common Eno-lish 

 tobacco, which is particularly rich in nicotine, is often 

 allowed by planters to run to seed, in order to effect a 

 separation of the nitrogenous constituents, the albumen 

 forsaking the leaves and lodging in the seed. 



In the young shoots, buds, and generally in all parts in 

 which the production of cells is most actively carried on, 

 the sulphureous and nitrogenous constituents (albumen) 

 accumulate, and thus tlie younger leaves are always 

 richer in these substances than the older. The leaves 

 nearest the ground (sand-leaves) give a milder, the upper 

 leaves a stronger, tobacco. In those varieties which are 

 not particularly rich in nicotine and albumen, the sand- 

 leaves are of much less value than the upper leaves. 

 A mild tobacco always means a tobacco poor in narcotic 

 constituents. 



The course pursued by the European tobacco planter, 

 who lays a superabundance of animal manure upon Ji is 

 fields, is the exact reverse of that adopted ])y tlie 



